I am trying to pick a team in the SPFL. I've come to understand that Celtic pretty much win the league every year and no other team has a chance, outside of Rangers. In EPL, maybe 4 teams or so win every year. I'm told it's similar in other leagues like Spain.
As an NBA fan, I have a hard time understanding this concept. Many people complain about tanking and appreciate the concept of relegation. I'm going to pick on the Hornets for a second, apologies to the Queen City. They're not in an admirable spot rn imo. They had a legit shot at wemby and maybe Miller is PG-13 or they keep getting high picks and eventually land a franchise player and/or sufficient talent to support lamelo/Miller as franchise players. It gives them something to hope for and, aside from tanking, helps to maintain healthy competition in the league, such that there's a rotation of winners and champions.
My thesis is that competition is central to sport so I'm not sure how to support a team that is unopposed, like Celtic, or, one that never wins, like all the other non-Ranger teams in the SPFL. For example, imagine that Charlotte had no hope to ever be champions or even win their conference or division but you still had to cheer for them. I know they have never won a chip but they could. They're a relatively young franchise and back in the day, Zo and Grandmama were one of the hypest duos and they had some of the most popular merch. In short, I see a reason to support the Hornets in a way that I struggle to see in non-Celtic/Ranger teams.
I know this is off-topic but tanking v relegation and in-season cups are topics relevant to both sports/leagues. Football/soccer is a more popular sport than b-ball globally so obviously Silver is looking at their model for inspiration. I'd appreciate insight from those more familiar with EPL/SPFL that are also NBA fans bc NBA and North American leagues comprise the majority of my familiarity with sport. My sense is that bc there's no salary cap in EPL/SPFL that it's all just about the money and that destroys competition. I feel like for smaller clubs in SPFL, the attraction is about community and love of the sport and that winning isn't necessarily a governing factor. I have a hard time understanding this concept so I'm looking for some guidance. Thanks!
The thing about things like the EPL is that it's not the only competition the teams are playing in. You've got the FA Cup, for example. You've got the Champions League.
But yes, European soccer has had a real problem with uneven playing fields, financially. Some teams (like PSG) are owned by oil barons who literally don't care if the team makes money because they have insane amounts of wealth. No normal team could have afforded MBappe, Messi, and Neymar.
But look, the NBA isn't that far removed from that. I grew up a Warrior fan, with literally no expectation of ever seeing the team win a title. It seemed impossible that we'd ever be able to compete with the Lakers. I can tell you that fans of the Bucks, Raptors, and Nuggets probably felt the same: "hey, we play entertaining ball, win a couple of playoff series here and there, it's fun."
The reality is that most seasons most teams have no realistic chance of a title.